Genelec 4000 Series brings clarity to University of Derby

Genelec 4000 Series active loudspeakers feature prominently in the latest refurbishment project at the University of Derby. A total of 30 new classrooms and a courtroom have been upgraded at the university’s impressive campus, with Genelec’s installation-friendly speakers providing crystal clear sound to complement the new audio visual equipment installation, enabling cutting-edge collaborative teaching methods to be used.

The University of Derby is a modern education provider with more than 28,000 students attending a diverse range of courses. The main campus located in Derby city centre is accompanied by its Buxton and Chesterfield campuses. The upgraded classrooms at the main campus feature Genelec 4020 and 4030 Series speakers.

Scott Bradley, of the University of Derby’s IT Networks team, first realised the benefits of Genelec speakers at the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2014 event, seeing them as a perfect fit for their latest phase of their on-going teaching space refurbishment project.

He comments: “We were looking to overhaul our AV systems as technology has moved on and some of our kit had become a bit dated. We realised that our previous loudspeaker setup lacked clarity. For example, we often found that members of staff were trying to overcome the poor sound quality by increasing the volume of the system, which led to a noisy teaching environment. The Genelec loudspeakers have a flat frequency response which ensures excellent sound reproduction at all volume levels, hence the teaching spaces with Genelec are now considerably quieter and productive.”

Phillip Blavins, also of the university’s IT Networks team, praised the ergonomic curved design of the speakers, which makes them less vulnerable to damage. He adds: “The tamper-free construction is perfect for the modern learning environment. Combined with their excellent flat response and easy installation and tunability, this made the Genelec 4000 Series loudspeakers the ideal choice for us.”

The speakers also help to boost the university’s green energy credentials with as they are fitted with Genelec’s Intelligent Signal Sensing (ISS) Autostart function. This feature places the amplifier in standby mode if an input signal has not been detected for approximately one hour. The power consumption is thereby reduced to typically less than 0.5 watts, and playback will automatically resume once an input signal is detected from the source. Furthermore, with the 4000 Series’ integrated amplifier, no additional external amplifier is needed, reducing bulk and heat levels on cluttered AV racks, while also simplifying the installation process for integrators.

Refurbishment at the university is set to continue, with further phases of upcoming work to include a cutting-edge new sports hall development.